Brace wrench



Aug. 6, 1929.

BRAGE WRENCH Filed April 22, 1926 www@ BY Wm ATTOR N EYS s. w. HARTLEYh1,723,033 I Patented Aug. 6, 1929.

UNITEDl STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SEWARD W. HARTLEY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO J. H. FAW, OF WHITEPLAINS, NEW YORK.

IBRAOE WRENCH.

Application filed April 22,

This invention relates to brace Wrenches Which have a plurality ofsockets of different sizes, mounted in turret fashion on the end of thebrace and each adapted to be turned into alignment With the axis of thebrace for use in turning nuts or bolts.

One of the objects or the invention is to provide a Wrench of this typewhich is easily made of few and simple parts, of rugged construction andlow cost.

Another object of the invention is to provide a brace Wrench with asocket member containing a plurality of sockets, as described, rotatablymounted on the shank of the Wrench, and to provide an improved means forholding any one of the sockets in nut engaging positions, with the nutengaging socket substantially in line With the aXis of rotation of theWrench.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rotatable handle for abrace Wrench, Which may be made of one piece of metal and may be easilyand quickly attached to the shank of the Wrench.

Another object of the invention is to provide a multiple socket memberrotatably mounted on the shank of the Wrench and held against lateralmotion thereon.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent as the descriptionproceeds.

In the dra-Wings: Y

Figure 1 is a side elevational View of an embodiment of my invention,with the socket and handle members in section, to

show the mamier of attaching the same.

Figure 2 is a bottom` plan vievv of the socket member showing the meansfor holding the desired socket in operative position.

Figures 3 and 4 are sectional side elevations of tvvo modications of theWrench shown in Figure 1 and in which the socket member may be morepositively secured in nut engaging position; and y Figure 5 is anenlarged sectional view of a portion of the socket shown in Figure 1showing a modified form of retaining means.

The Wrench comprises a shank 10, bent in such a form as to provide anend portion 11 substantially in line with the -aXis of rotation of theWrench, a middle or crank portion 12 which is adapted to be grasped bythe hand to turn the Wrench and al portion 13 substantially at rightangles to the crank 1926. Serial No. 103,767.

portion 12 upon which the socket member 14 55 is rotatably mounted inline with the end portion 11.

The diameter of the end of the transverse portion 13 of the shank 10 isreduced at 15 adjacent the end thereof and forms a shoulder 16, againstwhich the socket member 14 abuts.

A disc or Washer 17 is non-rotatably secured to the end of thetransverse portion 13 of the shank 10,. which may be slightly tapered at18 to receive the same, and the end of the shank is swaged over at 19 tohold the Washer 17 rigidly thereon.. The socket member 14 is heldbetween the shoulder 16 and the disc 17 against lateral movement on thesha1-1k, but is permitted to rotate around the axis 15.

The disc or Washer 17 is provided With a plurality of holes 20, one foreach socket 14 preferably, and a spring-pressed ball 21 is mounted in anopening 22 inthe side of the socket member 14, and urged outwardly bythe spring 23' against the disc 17. The ball is held in the socketmember 14 by the usual method of peening the outer edge ot the opening22, so that it is slightly smaller than the diameter of the ball. Theholes 2O in the disc' 17 are spaced from the center the same distancethe ball is set from the center of the socket, so that when the socketis turned with relation to the disc, the ball will engage each of theholes in turn. When the ball is engaged with one of the holes, thesocket is held in that position until enough torsional force is directedagainst 490 the socket to force the ball back into the opening 22,depressing the spring 23, and cause it toV travel over the edge of thehole 2O and along the side of the disc as the socket is turned until iteng-'ages with another ot the holes 20. The holes 2Ov are so placed inthe disc 17 that when the ball 21 engages any one of the holes, one ofthe nut engaging sockets will be in the line of rotation of the Wrench,in proper position to engage a nut for turning.

1f desired, a plurality of spring pressed balls may be used to engagewith several of the holes at the same time to increase the turningresistance of the socket member, or a plunger 21a (Figure 5) having aconeshaped head may be used in place of the ball 21. Any desiredresistance to turning the .a restricted end 39.

socket may be obtained with this latter embodiment of the invention byproviding a plunger in which the cone head a greater or less slope. Thesteeper the sides of the cone head the greater the i'esistance'toturning Will be.

The handle 24 on the end of the wrench oppositel the socket is comprisedot one piece ot' metal, spun or pressed into a closed or cup shape. flheupper end oit the handle 24; is turned inwardly and downwardly, torminga sleeve 25, which acts as an upper bearing on the shank 10, and thelower portion 26 of the handle 2st is closed about the shank l0, to formthe lower bearing for the handle. r1`he upper portion 11 oit the shankl() has an annular groove 27, near the end thereof, in position to holdthe handle 2l in the desired longitudinal position on the shank. A hole28 is provided in the handle 2a on a 'horizontal' line with the midportion of the sleeve'25. To attach the handle, it is slipped over theend portion 1l of the shank l() and a tool or punch 29 is insertedthrough the hole 28 and driven against the sleeve 25 'to provide aproject-ion 30 on the insite ol' the sleeve 25 which engages with thethe end portion ll of the shank 10, and rotatably holds the handle inplace thereon.

It desired, l may also provide a suitable turning handle on `the crankportion l2 of the wrench.

It Will thus be evident that l. have provided a brace wrench with aplurality olf sockets for engaging different sized nuts, iii which anyone of the sockets may be used by merely turning the socket member, sothat the socket 'is in the proper position and groove in 'in which thesocket member will be retained 'in' proper position against accidentalrotation, but may be readily turned to another posit-ion to engage anut. of a diilerent size A when desired.

In Figure 3 a multi-socket member 1st" is 'shown retained uponthe shank15a by two 'discs 31 and 32.

r1`he disc 3l may be niade integral with the shank l5, il desired. Thesocket member 141 may have a plurality of plungers 33 disposed iiiopenings 34.- in the socket member 1ct and urged toward the disc 3l bythe springs 35. 'lhe disc 3l may have au opening 36 adapted to registerwith any one ot the openings 311 when the socket member is turned to theproper positionA on the shank. A second plunger 37 may be mounted in theopening 3G of the disc 31 and may be held therein by the sleeve 38 whichhas tached to the plunger 37 so that it can project through the end 39of the sleeve 38 and a'finger piece 41 may be attached to the end of theshaft 40 in order to provide means to operate the plunger 37. 1n thismodilication when one ot the holes 34- is aligned with the hole 36 inthe disc 31, the plunger 33 is iig/ashes A shank l0 may be atinsidei'ace of the disc 31, at which time the socket member llb may be turnedon the shank 15a. Vrlhe holes 34 in the socket member la!) are spaced sothat when any one of the holes is registering with the hole 36 in thedise 31, one oit the sockets is in nut engaging position.

ln rig-ure l a slightly different modii'ication ot the constructionshown in Figure has been illustrated. il socket lll@ is retained on theshank 1:3 by means of discs 32 and a2. il plurality of holes may beprovided in the socket lll-C and spring-pressed plungers lll providedtherein similar to those shown in lligure 3. il screw is threadedthrough. a hole sie in the disc. l2 in such a` position that willregister with the center of any one ot the plungers lllwhen the socket.1i .is in the proper position. The hole 16 is enten-ged at the innerface ot the disc 42 to :torni a recess al? adapted to receive one of 2:3to facilitate turning the same. ln this niodilication, when it isdesired to lock the socket ifi-.U in one of its nut engaging positions,the screw l5 is withdrawn by turning the head lle. Wvhen vthe other endofthe screw lo reaches the bottom of the recess 47 one ot the plungersdel is i'ree to be pushed into the recess so that the socket is lockedin that position. To change the socket, the screw 45 is turned furtherinto the disc 42 by turning the head 43 when it will :torce the plunger44 back into the socket 14C to permit the socket being turned on theshank 15a.

l/Vhile V1 have illustrated and described certain embodiments oit myinvention, it WillV be i evident that various changes in the design yandconstruction thereof may be resorted to without departing F from thespirit of the n- `veiition, and l` do not desire therefore to 'limitmyself to the embodiments shown and to interpret the invention the scopeof the appended said multi-socket member in any one of its nut engagingpositions.

2. A brace Wrench of the type described comprising a shank, amulti-socket member' rotatably mounted on said shank, a disc rigidlymounted on said shank adjacent said multi-socket member, aspring-pressed ball contained Within said multi-socket member and urgedagainst said disc, said disc having depressions in the face thereof toengage said ball and releasably hold said multi-socket member in any oneof its nut engaging positions.

3. A brace Wrench of the type described comprising a shank having ahandle portion and a transverse portion, a shoulder on said transverseportion, a multi-socket member rotatably mounted on said transverseportion and bearing against said shoulder, a disc rigidly attached tosaid transverse portion and holding said multi-socket member in placethereon, said disc having a series of depressions adjacent saidmulti-socket member and arranged equi-distant from the center thereofthere being one depression for every socket on said multi-socket memberand a spring pressed ball contained in said multi-socket member andadapted to cooperate with said depressions in said disc to releasablyholdsaid multi-socket member in any one of its nut engaging positions.

4. In a multi-socket brace Wrench of the type described having a shankportion and a multi-socket member, means to releasably` i hold themulti-socket member in any one of its nut engaging positions, comprisinga disc rigidly attached to the shank of said Wrench and adjacent saidmulti-socket member and having a series of depressions on the inner facethereof, spaced apart to correspond With the spacing of the sockets onsaid multi-socket member, said multi-socket member having adepression'in the side thereof adjacent said disc, a ball in saiddepression and held therein by the opening of said depression beingslightly less in diameter than the diameter of said ball, and a springin said depression and urging said ball toward said disc so that aportion of said ball protrudes from said depression and engages one ofthe depressions in said disc, when the depression in said multi-socketmember is aligned with the depression in said disc to releasably holdsaid multi-socket member in such position.

5. In a brace Wrench, a shank, a multisocket member rotatably mounted onsaid shank, means to hold said multi-socket memvber against longitudinalmovement on said shank and spring, controlled means contained in saidsocket member' to engage With said holding means to retain said socketmember in any one of its nut engaging positions.

In testimony whereof I have aiiiXed my signature to this specification.

SEVARD W. HARTLEY.

